


Funny How a Memory Sounds Like a Melody

by nikmood



Category: How I Met Your Mother
Genre: Depressing, Gen, Ted is a douche
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-10
Updated: 2014-08-10
Packaged: 2018-02-12 15:25:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2115009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nikmood/pseuds/nikmood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ellie is teething.  Barney is at his wits end.  Robin tries to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Funny How a Memory Sounds Like a Melody

Funny How a Melody Sounds Like a Memory

 

When Robin got the phone call that Barney was going to be a father, she fainted.

Not her finest moment, but she was shocked. Guess all the time he spent reassuring her (and everyone else) that she was enough and he didn't want kids were just another of his lines. Deep down, she knew. She knew that he wanted kids. She watched how he was with Eli and Sadie, and how he was with Marvin and the rest of the kids. He was a natural with them. He might of loved her once, but he _needed_ to be a dad. That's the real reason she gave him the out. He needed to be able to find someone to give him the one thing she couldn't.

And he did. Some college chick that was all too quick to sign over her parental rights in exchange for all of her expenses during the nine months being paid for. Ted told her all about it. He keeps telling her about this, and even went as far as to email her sonogram pictures in some sick game where he was trying to rub in her face exactly how much Barney has moved on and how little he cares for her. After that email she was quick to call him to tell him that if he ever though of pulling a stunt like that again she would be more than happy to tell Tracey where a great deal of his skeletons are buried. She blocked his number and email address after that.

A sick part of her needed to keep tabs on Barney, but she couldn't do it through anyone in the group. That's where Ranjit came into the picture. She paid him to fill her in on Barney's life, and Robin felt no qualms about it. She was the first one to know that Barney rushed to the hospital to see his daughter being born. Ranjit sent her a picture, letting her know that he had named her Ellie. Robin sat, transfixed, looking at the picture for the longest time. She was a beautiful baby. She would have to be, after all Barney Stinson was her father. Her Barney was a father. She reached up to the chain around her neck and touched her engagement ring and wedding ring . She didn't hurt this badly or feel this empty when she first found out she couldn't have children, but right now if felt like her soul was shattering. Fat teardrops fell steadily on the picture of a adoring Barney holding a pink bundle. Robin stayed like that for the better part of an hour, then she sat up and went into the bathroom to fix her makeup. It wouldn't look good for WWN's foreign correspondent to look like a sadsack in public. Once Robin got ready, she headed out to go buy baby things.

Robin regularly bought things for Ellie. She wasn't foolish, she has them sent to a drop center in New York that anonymously mailed them to Barney's address. She knew that Barney figured that she was behind the cute onsies and socks and dresses and stuffed animals, but he had yet to send a package back or call her to tell her she was being creepy and to stay the hell out of his life.

One morning Robin heard from Ranjit that Barney was at his wits end. Ellie was teething and he couldn't find anything to soothe her. That got the wheels turning in Robin's head and the next day she did something she never thought she would do again. She called around and booked a few hours at a local recording studio. Three hours later and she had a cd of mostly lullabys. Before she could over think her motives, she had the cd and a bottle of Glen McKenna overnighted to Barney with a short note. _Barney, I realize you probably don't want to hear from me, but I heard that Ellie was having trouble teething. Dip your finger in the Scotch and rub it on her gums. It will numb them. Frozen washcloths are great for teething. The cd is for you to play for her when she gets fussy. Sorry about the last two tracks, I was feeling nostalgic. I hope you two are doing well other than this. ~~I miss your stupid face.~~ Robin._

Robin knew it was a stupid thing to do. Barney is her ex-husband. Ellie is not her daughter. Yet she still feels connected to Barney, and by extension, Ellie. Some lizard part of her brain thought that if someone was going to sing Barney's child to sleep, it should be her, even if the child isn't hers and it's through a cd.

One day, Robin vowed, she would make it a full day without thinking of Barney Stinson and the good times or the what might have beens. Today is just not obviously not that day. Tomorrow probably isn't either.

**Author's Note:**

> For the curious, these are the songs on the cd
> 
> beauty and the beast  
> baby mine  
> behind blue eyes  
> in my life  
> let it be  
> lullaby (goodnight my angel)  
> just the way you are  
> all i have to do is dream  
> beautiful  
> you are my sunshine  
> you are the sunshine of my life  
> little miss magic  
> future days  
> sandcastles in the sand


End file.
